'No computer science degree needed...': Google's head of Android Sameer Samat calls for a 'rebrand' of the degree

Sameer Samat, vice president of Android at Google, believes the computer science degree has been reduced to a narrow stereotype that needs urgent correction. In a recent interview with Business Insider, Samat said many view the degree as “just learning to do Java coding,” a misconception that overlooks the broader skills and thinking it develops.

“If that’s what you want to do, you don’t need a degree,” said Samat. A computer science graduate himself from the University of California, San Diego, he stressed that coding is only one component of the discipline. “It’s definitely not learning to code. It is the science, in my opinion, of solving problems.”

According to Samat, the real value of a computer science degree lies in its focus on analytical thinking, system design, and collaboration. These skills, he suggested, remain critical even as artificial intelligence reshapes the future of software development.

Concerns about the relevance of a computer science education have grown in recent years, particularly as AI models begin to automate large portions of coding work. Industry executives, including those from Google and Salesforce, have acknowledged that AI is now generating 30 to 50 percent of code at many companies.

Despite these shifts, Samat believes there is still value in learning foundational programming languages. Recalling his own education, he noted that he learned to code just as Assembly language was becoming obsolete. Studying it, however, gave him a deeper understanding of how machines operate at their core.

“Maybe someday it’ll be natural language, where we’re just talking about what we want, and something is building the underlying software for you,” Samat said. But he added that such a future is still far off.

Samat also offered a word of advice for students considering the degree for job market appeal alone. “I think it’s really important that it be something that you’re really excited about going deep in and really becoming a 5% top expert in the field.”